Review: God Save the Queen by Kate Locke

Title: God Save The Queen

Author: Kate Locke

Publisher: Orbit

Published: July 2012

ISBN: 978 0356501437

Rating: 5/5 with merits

First off, I adore the cover on this!  The character on the front has an outlandish steampunk/goth mash up which made this book stand out and beg me to start reading.  Throughout the pages, as on the front; there is a silhouetted skull complete with its own crown – very fun and funky.

I thoroughly enjoyed the spin on the Queen’s Jubilee, as this published around the celebrations for that in the UK.  It is an unusual book in that Steampunk is normally a futuristic concept with Victorian elements; this is spun on its head as Queen Victoria never died (infact she is undead and rules for eternity) .

Xandra’s character is a butt kicking Royal Guard whos world tilts and turns completely upside down.  I loved all the intrigue; the huge plot twists which made this a story I couldn’t put down.  The conspiracies in this are brilliantly told and the story is past faced.

One of my favourite characters is Vex – charming and everything Xandra needs; even if he is a wolf!  Xandra’s unofficial Uncle, Churchill, is a fascinating character.  I won’t go into detail about his character as that would contain too many spoilers.

God Save the Queen is a refreshing must-read.  Kate Locke is on my Author hit list now, as I definitely want to read more from her. 

Book synopsis:

The undead matriarch of a Britain where the Aristocracy is made up of werewolves and vampires, where goblins live underground and mothers know better than to let their children out after dark. A world where being nobility means being infected with the Plague (side-effects include undeath), Hysteria is the popular affliction of the day, and leeches are considered a delicacy. And a world where technology lives side by side with magic. The year is 2012 and Pax Britannia still reigns.

Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite Royal Guard, and it is her duty to protect the Aristocracy. But when her sister goes missing, Xandra will set out on a path that undermines everything she believed in and uncover a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire. And she is the key-the prize in a very dangerous struggle.

Source – Many thanks to the publisher, a copy was received in return for an honest review.

Waiting on Wednesday -The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection from me is:

The Queen is Dead (Immortal Empire #2) by Kate Locke, publishing Feb 2012 Publisher - Orbit

When her brother Val gets in over his head in an investigation of Half-Blood disappearances and goes missing himself, it's up to Xandra, newly crowned Goblin Queen, to get him back and bring the atrocities to light. Xandra must frequent the seediest parts of London, while also coping with what she is, the political factions vying for her favor, and the all too-close scrutiny of Queen Victoria, who wants her head. Add this to a being a suspect in a murder investigation, a werewolf boyfriend with demands of his own, and a mother hell bent on destroying the monarchy, and Xandra barely knows which way is up. One thing she does know is that she's already lost one sibling, she's not about to lose another.

Xandra Varden is the newly crowned Goblin Queen of England. But her complicated life is by no means over.

There are the political factions vying for her favor, and the all too-close scrutiny of Queen Victoria, who for some reason wants her head. Not to mention her werewolf boyfriend with demands of his own, and a mother hell bent on destroying the monarchy. Now she's the suspect in a murder investigation --- and Xandra barely knows which way is up.

What she does know is that nothing lasts forever---and immortality isn't all its cracked up to be.

I really enjoyed reading God Save the Queen (watch out for my review this week).  So I’m betting that this one will be equally as good.  I love the cover on this, just as much as I loved the quirkiness of God Save the Queen’s cover.

Review: The Infernal Devices, Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Title: The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel

Author: Cassandra Clare

Artwork: HyekYung Baek

Publisher: Orbit

Published: November 2012

ISBN: 978 0356502250

Rating: 3.5/5

Look at the cover on this graphic manga book.  I love the steampunk elements, along with all the colours used. It really is eye catching.  The only thing missing are steampunk adornments/jewellery on the character on the front imo.

This is the first ever manga based book I’ve read, so my review is based from a complete newbie perspective.  I also haven’t read any of Cassandra Clare’s books to date, so I can’t compare these to the books to see if there are any differences.

This has some macabre scenes (with blood) and some with ghoulish figures from clockwork creations, so this isn’t something you’d want a youngster to get hold of imo…I had to keep this to one side as our 10 year old is very much into comics/graphic novels, but I didn’t feel this was appropriate as it’s obviously meant for an older audience.

I thought the storyline itself came across really well.  I’m not used to reading from bubbled captions, but I was able to follow the story and digest what was happening.  I understood that Jem had a secret, but not to what extent.  I also realised in advance exactly who Tessa was, but I reeled in shock with her when she found out exactly what her parental future meant.  I also had the storyline swept from underneath my feet once the identity of The Magister was revealed – I didn’t see that one coming!!  Some characters in this are truly despicable.  I like the cliff hanger at the end as well.

My favourite pages in this are those that are in full glossy colour, in all their glory.  At the beginning of the novel there are half a dozen full colour pages, which I love – the first of which is very similar to the front cover of the novel.  Whilst the story kept me glues throughout with the detail and easy to follow dialogue, my personal preference would be for colour pages all the way through.  Some of the art freaked me out as they appear to be unfinished..some of the characters had a blank half to one side of their face, which I couldn’t get used to.  I liked how it occasionally changed to anime type art in some of the dialogue (at least I think anime is the correct art term) although I don’t know the reason for it.

Book synopsis:

A prequel to Cassandra Clare's 'Mortal Instruments' series, 'The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel' is the story of Tessa Gray, a sixteen-year-old American girl travelling alone to Victorian London who runs afoul of the city's sordid supernatural underworld. Rescued by the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, Tessa quickly finds herself caught up in an intrigue that may very well destroy her new friends - including the two enigmatic young men, Jem and Will, who have taken her under their wing . . .

Source – Many thanks to the publisher, a copy was received in return for an honest review.